


The Long Way Around

by Lefaym



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Multi, POV Multiple, Post-Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Referenced canonical violence against children, Sibling Incest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-07
Updated: 2017-01-07
Packaged: 2018-09-15 08:35:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9226919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lefaym/pseuds/Lefaym
Summary: Post-RotJ: The Rebel Alliance is victorious and the New Republic is beginning to take shape, but for the heroes of the Rebellion, something doesn’t feel quite right: Han is frustrated, Leia is tired, and Luke has gone off on his own in search of Jedi lore.When an envoy from the planet Andola demand to speak to Luke, as the last remaining Jedi, Leia and Han agree to go after him. Meanwhile, as he approaches Set-Na - a mysterious uninhabited system brimming with the Force - Luke receives an unexpected call for help…Luke, Leia, and Han are drawn back together again, but not without some revelations from the past that could tear them apart - or bring them closer.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My deepest thanks to fera_festiva and roane72 for cheer-leading, idea-bouncing, and beta-reading. I doubt I would have finished this without your encouragements, and the work is better for your suggestions. You both did a brilliant job, and any remaining flaws in the work are entirely my own.
> 
> Roane72 is also responsible for the gorgeous artwork accompanying this Big Bang fic: [gifset here](http://tumblr.selkie.net/post/155504315098/the-long-way-around-by-lefaym-in-the-mysterious), and banner/cover at the beginning of Chapter 1.

[](http://tumblr.selkie.net/post/155504315098/the-long-way-around-by-lefaym-in-the-mysterious)

Victory wasn’t supposed to feel this way.

Not that Han had been suffering under any illusions about the galaxy settling down peacefully the moment the Emperor and Vader were out of the picture. He knew that there were years of fighting still ahead, and he’d always known it. For a long time, if anyone had asked Han, he would’ve said that he didn’t expect to be around when victory came for the Rebellion, if it ever came at all.

Underneath all that though… not that he ever would’ve admitted it, but underneath all that was this idea that in the end they’d all get there together, they’d all keep on fighting together. Leia and Luke had risked everything to get him back from Jabba, but now… Han sighed as he returned to the cramped temporary quarters he shared with Leia, just outside the Ewok village.

Han would’ve preferred to stay in the Falcon with Chewie, but Leia needed to be close to the command center. It seemed like she spent every waking moment secluded away with Mon Mothma, Ackbar, and Lando, trying to contact sympathetic worlds. Han knew it was necessary, but it didn’t stop him from missing her. Their tiny room was cold and dark now, and Han suspected that Leia hadn’t been back here since she’d climbed out of their sleeping pallet well before dawn.

The cold and dark, at least, were easy enough to deal with. Han lit the small lamp hanging from above, and stripped off his dirty clothes. They had a tiny portable ‘fresher, barely large enough for Han to stand upright in, but it still helped ease his aching muscles, sore from a day out coordinating patrols. They were still finding Stormtrooper cells stationed around the forest moon, though by now at least most of them knew to surrender without a fuss.

Han briefly considered trying to find Chewie, but they’d been on patrol together all day, and Han knew that he’d be trying to contact his family on Kashyyyk. Long range communications had been difficult since the Empire had started crumbling. The holonet was unreliable and a lot of messages weren’t getting through. If Chewie did manage to get a connection, he wouldn’t need Han distracting him.

There was also the option of joining some of the pilots for a drink and a game of sabacc, but Han quickly dismissed the idea. He kept expecting to see Luke just over his shoulder when he was with the pilots, and that reminded him of the way Leia clammed up whenever he was mentioned these days, though she wouldn’t tell him what was wrong. 

He could guess at some of it: Luke and Leia had told him about Vader, and what he was to them, as the last embers of the celebration party had burned down. They’d sat either side of him, and told them what they knew, which wasn’t a lot, really, but it was still more than enough to take in. Not much could shock Han anymore though -- he’d accepted a while back that he’d gotten himself mixed up in something far bigger than any sane person would expect, and the only thing to do was just go with it.

Leia had held his hand and let her head rest against his shoulder as the tale unfolded. As Luke told them both about his final meeting with Vader and the Emperor, how he’d almost fallen to the Dark for Leia’s sake, Han had taken Luke’s hand too. It had seemed like the thing to do.

Night had turned to day as they sat together like that, and in spite of everything Han had thought maybe they could all finally… well, it didn’t matter now. At a certain point, Luke and Leia had looked across Han, at each other, and he’d felt both of them tense up at the same moment. Then Luke had been getting up, saying he had to check on something, and the next time Han had seen him, a day later, he was getting ready to go off in search for some sacred Jedi planet that he desperately needed to see all of a sudden.

And since then, it wasn’t that Leia had been cold or distant, but the joyful camaraderie they’d all shared that first night of celebration had disappeared the moment Luke pulled away.

Han got it, he did. Couldn’t be easy to deal with Darth Vader being your surprise father, not to mention discovering that your secret twin was someone you’d known for years. And whatever Leia said about her feelings now, he knew that there had been _something_ going on beneath the surface for all three of them before the Hoth evacuation, even if him and Leia were the only ones who actually did something about it.

Han dug through his satchel for a protein bar, but before he found anything, he heard the door to their quarters slide open. Leia walked in with one hand rubbing at her temple. Her eyes were tight, as they had been since Luke left.

“Hey,” said Han, standing to greet her. “You look about as pooped as I feel.”

“You sure know how to charm a girl, don’t you?” said Leia, but she managed a small smile as she said it.

“One of my many talents.” Han pulled her in close. “Tough day, huh?”

Leia groaned against his chest. “We don’t seem to be getting anywhere. We’ve got one promising lead on… but I can’t even talk about that.”

“‘S okay.” Some things had to be kept quiet until they panned out.

“I’m tired, Han,” she said softly, and he knew she didn’t only mean from lack of sleep.

“Yeah,” said Han. “I know.” He turned her around in his arms, and began to knead the tense muscles in her shoulders.

Leia sighed against him. “That’s nice,” she said softly. “I just wish… I wish I could turn off for a little bit, like Threepio at night.”

Han knew Leia had been having trouble sleeping. He suspected that she’d been having nightmares, though she’d never admit it. But there was a vulnerable note in her voice now, and that made Han’s heart twist. Back on Hoth, she’d been willing to share his bed often enough, at least for part of the night, but he was always in for a week or two of cold and lonely nights if he’d suggested that things were getting to her. Now though… she didn’t tell him everything, but she let him in more than she ever had before.

Maybe that was why his next words slipped out.

“Why don’t we then?”

“Why don’t we what?”

“Switch off. Look…” Han drew a deep breath. “The Alliance, or the New Republic, or whatever it is we’re calling ourselves now… we’re due to leave Endor in two weeks or so, right?”

“Yes, but…”

“Well, why don’t you and me take some time, when everyone takes off? You’ve given more than anyone else, more than anyone has the right to ask… so why not leave it to the others for a month or two? We can go get Luke from Set-whatever or wherever it is that he’s gone off to, and then we can all…”

Leia pulled away from him as though he’d just suggested murdering Ewoks. She turned to face him, her eyes hard and bright. “You know we can’t do that.”

“I was just--”

“Well, don’t.”

“Fine. As you command, Princess.”

“If you’re going to be like that--” Leia glared at him a moment longer, and then something seemed to deflate in her. “I don’t want to fight tonight,” she said.

Han sighed. “Me neither.”

“It’s just… I can’t. We can’t. You have to understand.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I do.” Han wasn’t sure that he did understand, not completely, but he didn’t have the heart to push it further.

This time, Leia stepped in to embrace him. Her hands curled up into his hair, and she pulled his mouth down to hers.

They were both tired. But not so tired, apparently, that they didn’t want a bit of a distraction before trying to sleep. They tumbled together onto their pallet and tried, at least, to push all their troubles away for a time.

* * *

Luke felt everything shift around him as his ship left hyperspace. The streaks in front of him resolved themselves into tiny stars, which formed the backdrop to the Na-Set system. Luke had programmed his jump to bring him in further away than usual, and he could see the entire system from his vantage point. Two planets circled the red sun, identical in size, diametrically opposed as they followed the exact same orbit in perfect balance.

To the left of the sun, the planet Sed was a tiny blue dot, while to the right, Rew shone green. The Force was strong here, a palpable presence.

“Well, we’re here, Artoo,” said Luke.

Artoo responded with a long series of beeps and whistles, to the effect of, _We would have been here a lot sooner if this ship liked me. And if you hadn’t felt the need to stop all the time._

Luke smiled briefly. This ship, the _Lysano-323_ , was a small ex-Imperial short-range transport, requiring only a pilot and an astromech. Though it was capable, its hyperdrive wasn’t designed for long journeys, and the ship’s computer hadn’t appreciated Artoo’s insistence that it was inferior to a humble X-Wing.

Mon Mothma would have allowed him to take a faster ship, had he asked for it. His status as a Jedi carried weight with her, and with many of the leaders in the Alliance -- or the New Republic now. They remembered the old Jedi Order. But Luke had no desire to take a much-needed vessel from their fleet. Nor had he wanted to take the Emperor’s shuttle. He had scoured it for anything that could be useful to him, and had locked away many more items that seemed dangerous -- but the thought of inhabiting Palpatine’s old ship made Luke’s skin crawl with the memory of the Emperor’s laugh and his own screams as lightning had coursed its way through his body.

Aside from all that, Luke had wanted to travel slowly. He’d needed time to think, and time not to think too. Twice, he’d taken the ship out of hyperspace and just let it float through deep space; he’d allowed his mind and feelings stretch out into the emptiness around him. It was strangely peaceful, to be the only complex living organism for light years in any direction, to be able to stretch out and feel… nothing.

Almost nothing.

Even in the depths of space, he could sense Leia, though her presence had been faint, so far away from anything. He didn’t know if he’d be able to communicate with her over such a distance, he didn’t know if he could sense her feelings, if he reached out to her… but she was _there_. And behind that… Luke thought he’d sensed Han too, though his presence was even fainter. It would have been easier if he hadn’t wanted to feel both of them. Easier too if he didn’t feel that same sharp pang of regret every time he’d let himself dwell on them.

Still, out there in the middle of nothing at all, it had been almost easy to ignore it, to let himself feel only the vacuum outside. The second time he’d done it, he’d switched Artoo into low power and had lost himself for more than an entire standard day. He thought it had only been Leia’s distant presence -- and Han’s -- drifting past his consciousness, that had brought him back into himself.

Luke hadn’t let himself drift again after that.

Now, as Luke looked out over the Na-Set system, he felt the Force flow through him, stronger than ever. Neither planet was inhabited by intelligent beings, but the entire system brimmed with life.

And… his sense of Leia was stronger than it had been since he’d left Endor. Luke drew breath sharply as his heightened awareness of her, and Han through her, made itself known. He hadn’t expected this -- the little he’d learned about these things had suggested that he and Leia would need to be in the same system to sense each other in this way. But he knew, with absolute certainty now, that they were both still on the forest moon. 

For a moment an image brushed his mind, of Han and Leia curled up together at night. Han stroked her hair, while Leia looked upward, her expression troubled. She gasped suddenly, her eyes growing wide--

\--and Luke forced himself to pull away from them.

He hadn’t meant to touch her like that. Luke’s breathing came in ragged now, and his hands gripped the edge of ship’s control-console. His chest tightened painfully. He closed his eyes.

 _I can’t let this control me._ He was a Jedi, he couldn’t afford to… whatever he had hoped for, once, with Leia and Han both… it was dangerous, he’d come so close to falling already…

Luke took a moment to steady his breathing, and he released his grip. Simple exercises, some of the first that Yoda had taught him, to clear his mind. Focus on the breath, the gentle rise and fall of his chest…

...if only it hadn’t felt so good to see them both, in spite of everything. Even now, he was tempted to reach out again…

...but he couldn’t allow it. _Leia and Han deserve to be happy,_ Luke reminded himself.

That was why he’d come here. To learn the best way to accept… everything.

_“The records are patchy,” he told Leia, after she found him. “The holocron Ben left for me was corrupted, but it was clear enough on one thing. Rew is a place you can go to find answers… to let the Force guide you onto the right path. I think I need that now.”_

_Leia nodded, her face a mask that betrayed no emotion, though he could sense her turmoil underneath that. Luke didn’t want her to feel that way._

_He reached out and took her hand. “I’m glad you have Han,” he said. He knew she could feel how deeply he meant it. “You both love each other so much.” He swallowed hard._

_“Luke…”_

_“It’s okay,” he said softly. “It has to be this way. I’ll learn to accept it. I promise.” He’d let himself pretend, earlier, when all three of them had sat together as night became day. But he couldn’t keep doing that. How long before he just gave in to it?_

_Leia seemed to hesitate a moment, and then she leaned in to brush her lips across his cheek. “We both will,” she said. But he could tell that she didn’t quite believe it._

He’d promised her. He had to keep that promise.

Luke asked Artoo to set the coordinates for the real-space journey to Rew. He would turn the nav computer off when they got closer, and let his feelings guide him to the right place.

But as Artoo finished the coordinates, a series of long discordant notes began to emanate from the console. Luke startled, and began to look around for what had gone wrong.

Artoo chirped and whistled at him. _Nothing’s wrong here, oil-brain. It’s a distress call._

Moments later details appeared on the screen: ship down on Sed, one humanoid being on board.

That was… odd. As far as Luke could tell, the Empire had done all it could to suppress knowledge of this system. He’d been lucky that he’d been able to retrieve the location from Obi-Wan’s holocron.

He had come here to let the Force guide him. Perhaps it had brought someone else here too. And all of that aside, someone needed help.

“Reset the coordinates, Artoo,” said Luke.

* * *

Leia swore as one of her delicate hairpins snapped. Everything today required the utmost formality, and that meant not a hair out of place. Normally this wouldn’t be difficult, but Leia didn’t exactly feel normal at the moment. A second pin met its end. Leia swore again.

“I love your dirty mouth.”

Leia turned as Han stepped into their quarters, and decided to ignore his words when she saw that he was holding a large plastisteel mug of caf. “Give me that.”

It tasted like it had been brewed with bantha dung, but Leia didn’t care.

“So, you gonna tell me why I’m all dressed up like this?” Han wore the most formal outfit he’d had tucked away, embellished with stripes that indicated his status as a Rebellion General. He’d protested that the appointment had only been temporary, but that didn’t matter today.

“An envoy from Andola has arrived. We need to commence talks immediately. If they agree to join the New Republic… that would be a big win for us.” She’d hardly dared hope, when the garbled message had come through yesterday. Certainly none of them had expected the Andolans to arrive so soon.

“Why’d they ask for me?”

“Mon didn’t say.” The message had come through just before first light, requesting both of them. “But I’m guessing that they wanted to meet one of the big Rebellion heroes.”

“Hero. Hmph. They’ll see right through me.”

Leia couldn’t help but smile at that. “I don’t know,” she said. “You clean up pretty well, for a scoundrel. Almost as well as Lando.”

Han assumed an affronted expression. “ _Almost_ as well?”

“Something like that. Come over here and help me with this.” Leia set down the now-empty mug and indicated toward her last loose braid.

With the help of both Han and the caf in her system, Leia managed to get it right this time.

They hurried toward the command center, where a not- _quite_ -impatient Mon Mothma was waiting for them. Chewbacca was already there, wearing nothing but his usual bandolier, as Wookiee custom dictated.

The Alliance representatives arranged themselves in the reception area that just over a week ago had hosted their celebration party. The Ewoks had been more than generous with their resources.

Now, the Ewoks gave them a drumroll as Threepio announced the Luminous Harina Selwin of Andola, her two Chief Administrators, Davin Reed and Gretta-hi Neela, and Colonel Faren Dwenn, an Andolan citizen who had joined the Rebellion’s ground crew after defecting from the Imperial forces.

The Ewoks performed a ceremonial greeting dance when everyone was seated, and Leia took the opportunity to observe their potential new allies.

Leia had met Selwin’s predecessor back in her days as an Imperial Senator; the Luminous Yinn Dala had been a small, shrunken woman, beaten down by years of doing the Empire’s bidding. In contrast, Selwin sat proudly, her back straight, her eyes clear. Her optimism was reflected in the faces of her Chief Administrators. Dwenn, too, looked hopeful, though he seemed to be as tired as Leia felt; Leia knew he’d been working long hours with the beleaguered communications team.

Dwenn actually yawned as the formalities were observed. Only many years of diplomatic training prevented Leia from doing the same. She forced herself to focus on Selwin’s words: an all too common story of Imperial oppression, families torn apart, cultural artefacts destroyed, losses too great to be borne.

Leia was grateful when she felt Han rest his hand against the small of her back. No matter how skilled she was in keeping her face impassive, these stories were never easy to hear; they always brought back memories she tried to avoid.

Her expression betrayed her, however, when Selwin continued.

“Those of you who remember the Republic will also recall Andola’s special relationship with the Jedi order; our world considered it an honour that so many Andolan children were chosen to learn the ways of the Force, and we grieved deeply when the order was so cruelly overthrown.”

Leia felt Han’s palm move against her back as her spine stiffened. She hadn’t known this. Of course, discussion of the Jedi order had been dangerous, forbidden -- and she knew now that her parents had had other reasons not to encourage any curiosity in that direction. But that was something she couldn’t afford to dwell on at the moment.

“It is with great joy that we have received reports that you have amongst you the last of the Jedi. Though I understand from your leader that he is not present to greet us.”

Selwin’s gaze turned to Leia and Han. Leia returned her gaze. She ignored the tightness in her chest.

“Commander Skywalker,” Leia said smoothly, “has left us temporarily, to seek lost Jedi lore.”

Selwin nodded. “It is a shame he did not wait. There are many amongst us who remember; we would consider it a great privilege to assist him.”

“I feel certain that he will accept your offer gratefully, upon his return.” The formal mode of speech felt strange on Leia’s tongue after all her time with the Rebellion, but it made things easier, in a way.

Mon Mothma nodded. “Princess Leia and General Solo are close to Luke Skywalker,” she said. “In his absence, I will ask them to tell you the story of how he came to join our cause. A story that has become all the more interesting since we learned…”

Selwin raised a hand. “I look forward to speaking with her Highness and the General,” she said. “But I must make myself clear on this matter.”

“Please do continue.”

“The Andolan High Council was unanimous on this: we wish to support the New Republic. But we are cautious. The Empire was born of the Republic, and we would not join only to repeat past mistakes. But if you are aided by the Jedi once more… it would go far in reassuring our people. I must speak with Luke Skywalker myself before I can declare for you.”

Mon Mothma turned toward her. “Leia,” she said, “have you heard from your brother?”

“I haven’t,” she said. It wasn’t a lie, not really. She hadn’t even told Han about the brush she’d felt against her mind during the night. 

“You know where he is, correct?” said Mon.

“We do,” Leia confirmed.

Han shifted behind her. She knew he was itching to volunteer. Leia reached behind her to take his wrist, and hoped it would be enough to stop him from doing anything stupid.

Selwin spoke before Han had the chance to say anything.

“The Jedi, Skywalker, is your brother?” she asked. A note of surprise cut through her formal tone.

Not for the first time, Leia silently cursed herself for the decision to make that knowledge public. It had seemed so natural, in the midst of celebration, to assume that it would help; that it would be easy enough, in the wake of victory, to come to terms with things that couldn’t be changed. She’d regretted it ever since Luke had walked away from her and Han in the morning light.

Leia realised now that she had delayed too long in answering Selwin.

“He is my brother,” she said. “We were orphaned and separated at the end of the Clone Wars. We don’t know much about the circumstances.”

“The Force led you back to each other,” said Selwin.

“It appears so.” The Force certainly had a cruel way of going about it.

Selwin smiled. “Princess Leia of Alderaan,” she said, resuming her formal tone, “on behalf of the Andolan High Council, I request that you go to your brother by birth, the Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker, and extend our invitation to meet with him, so that we might formalise our long-awaited membership with the New Republic.”

Leia wanted to refuse. She wanted to insist that someone else do it. But Leia had always known that what she wanted came second to their goals. With the New Republic so close to becoming a reality, after everything…

“I would be honored,” said Leia. She could almost feel Han suppressing a cheer. _Forgive me, Luke._


	2. Chapter 2

_If you say this planet is safe, I’m not going to believe you,_ Artoo whistled.

Luke glanced over at his companion. “I promise, Artoo, I’m nowhere near saying this is safe for either of us.”

Obi-Wan’s holocron had been clear enough about Rew, and its ability to guide the Force-attuned toward answers and acceptance, but if it had contained any details about its twin planet Sed, that information was long gone. None of the ship’s readings indicated any danger as they approached, but Luke’s feelings suggested otherwise. Something about this place was telling him to leave and never come back, but something else was drawing him in; he felt an aching _need_ to be there, to see the planet’s surface.

The distress signal was still glowing red on his console, and that decided the matter. Whatever the danger, Luke couldn’t leave someone stranded.

The feelings intensified as the ship descended through the atmosphere, but Luke made himself focus on his breathing. He was a Jedi, he reminded himself, and that meant that his feelings did not control him. _Should not_. Images that he couldn’t quite catch passed through Luke’s mind, and sensations flickered across his skin without resolving into anything firm. Hands caressing him, voices whispering warmly in his ear -- and though he couldn’t quite work out what they were saying, he knew that he want to hear more. To feel more. Something told him that if he’d only let himself reach out to these half-seen and half-felt things, he could rest, his worries would be gone. 

Luke shuddered and made himself focus only the need to assist someone in trouble. He would prove that Yoda and Ben had not been wrong to place their faith in him. 

Luke held the controls steady as they skimmed across the treetops of Sed. The forest was light, and he found a clearing near the distress signal easily enough.

Here on the planet’s surface, Luke could feel certain places, certain pathways, pulsing with the Force. He found himself turning toward them, without thinking. He reached out with his mind toward a silvery mist that he couldn’t quite see… _“Come on, Luke,” said Leia softly, “What’ve you got to lose?” She smiled, and pulled him in close._

Luke gasped. He knew it wasn’t Leia, but she’d felt and sounded real enough. He needed to get away from this planet as soon as he could. He made himself focus on the hand-scanner that would lead him to the person in need.

He felt a surge of relief when he saw metal glinting between the trees -- a crashed escape pod, suspended high above in the canopy. He’d need to get it onto the ground as gently as possible if he had any hope of getting to whoever was trapped inside. It shouldn’t be a problem -- the pod was smaller than an X-Wing -- and yet, Luke hesitated.

What would the planet do if he drew on the Force again? How would it tempt him?

But there was no choice.

Luke extended his arms, and let the Force flow through him; he felt it in the trees, their roots reaching deep into the ground, he felt it the rocks beneath his feet, and in the air that surrounded the escape pod. And as he did so, part of him stopped resisting, he could see the mist again, and the half-formed thoughts and sensations that he’d been ignoring again resolved themselves into something more solid. _Soft lips on his, a warm body held close against him_. The lifted pod from the branches as though it was a feather in the breeze. _A calloused hand on his back, a rough voice in his ear: “You like this, kid?”_ The pod drifted downward, toward and landed softly in the bed of fallen foliage. _“Yeah. Yeah, I like this.”_

Luke gasped as his knees collapsed beneath him.

He could feel sweat beading on his brow, and knew that the effort expended in lowering the pod wasn’t the cause. He shouldn’t have come here. He should have sent a message, and hoped that just this once, the comms would work, and help could arrive quickly enough. He should have called out to Leia, had her send a rescue crew… but that would have been just as bad. And no more reliable than the comms, given the way this place messed with the Force.

What sort of message might he end up sending her by mistake? He’d hurt her more than he already had, and he’d risk hurting Han too...

Artoo moved past him toward the pod, beeping in binary too quickly for Luke to catch everything, though he suspected it was something along the lines of, _Let’s get on with it_.

Luke nodded, though he knew Artoo’s vision sensors weren’t aimed at him. There was no point in berating himself now.

He was glad to see that the escape pod hadn’t been too damaged in the crash; he wouldn’t need to call on the Force again to get it open.

It was easy enough to work the hatch. The door released and swung upward to reveal a young human woman who had clearly sustained a blow to the head. Blood had caked around a gash on her temple, and her eyes fluttered open, unfocused.

“Hey,” said Luke softly, not wanting to startle her. “Can you hear me?”

She made a small sound that might have been, “Yes.”

“I’m Luke. What’s your name?”

She seemed to struggle for a moment. “Pala,” she said at last, or something that sounded like it.

“Pala?”

“Yeah…”

“Pala, you’ve got a nasty wound on your head there, so I’m just gonna clean it up and put some bacta on. Okay?”

“‘Kay.”

Luke had what he needed in a small med-kit strapped to his side. He continued to talk to her as he worked, asking her the date, where she was from, and trying to glean what had happened.

Some of Pala’s answers were more lucid than others. The date she gave was out by two standard days, but then again, Luke had to check his chrono to be certain of that. He couldn’t make out the mush of syllables that came from her mouth when she tried to name her home planet, but she was able to tell him that she’d been injured when her ship had been thrown out of hyperspace after it had flown into a magnetic storm. She grew vague again when he asked her about her companions.

Once the wound was clean it didn’t look quite so bad, and Luke was easily able to apply a bacta patch. But it was a head wound, and Luke knew that meant she might have sustained injuries he couldn’t see. He didn’t dare draw on the Force again to check. Having something to do helped him to focus, but the temptation to give in to the quiet whispering at the back of his mind was still there.

Luke would just have to hope that the bacta would be enough to avert a serious crisis. Usually it was.

Pala seemed to have been strapped into the pod properly before it ejected, and as far as Luke could tell, her back and neck were fine, so at last he helped her undo the straps that had held her in place as the pod had landed. Her movements were stiff once she was free, and she held onto his wrist tightly to keep herself balanced as she began to move.

She paused a moment, half-way out of the pod, her eyes falling on Luke’s lightsaber, hanging from his hip. 

“What is it?” he asked.

“It’s -- nothing,” she said.

Luke didn’t quite believe her, but he was glad that she hadn’t pressed him for information. He didn’t really want to talk about the Force right now. It was odd though… perhaps she’d seen a lightsaber before, an old relic from the past. But he could ask her about that later.

Luke led Pala back to his own ship, and she seemed more alert every moment. She even laughed when Artoo swore in binary after he almost tripped on a root.

When they arrived at the ship, Artoo disappeared into the cockpit to run some maintenance programs, and Luke showed Pala to the ship’s sonic ‘fresher, which was functional if not luxurious, and dug out a tunic and some leggings for her to change into.

She looked at him strangely when he handed them to her. “You’re nice,” she said. It was almost a question.

Luke smiled. “Anyone would help out,” he said. Well, maybe not anyone, but most people. A lot of people, at least. He hoped so, anyway.

Pala disappeared into the ‘fresher, which gave Luke a moment to consider his next move. He’d need to get Pala somewhere safe, that was certain. But it was difficult at the moment to know which planets were safe. He hadn’t been able to get any information out of her about where she was going, but perhaps cleaning up would help clear her mind.

If it was even possible for anyone to have a clear mind in this place. Now that he was alone, with nothing urgent to fix on, he feel the impression of touch on his skin again; warm bodies and tender hands, their absence almost as painful as their presence. It was almost akin to the ghostly ache he still felt in his right hand sometimes.

It had been worse, in the beginning. Right now, he didn’t have the energy to stop himself remembering.

_“Does it hurt?” Leia asked, when she saw him grimace at the prosthetic._

_“A little.” Then he sighed. There was no point in lying to her. “A lot,” he said. “But I’ll be fine.”_

_“Of course you will.” She smiled at him, but it was a sad smile._

_On impulse he reached out to her, and she took his new hand. It was strange how real it felt, in spite of everything._

_“I don’t want to be alone right now,” he said without meaning to._

“Luke?” Pala stood in front of him, in clothes he’d given her.

Luke blinked and shook his head. “Sorry,” he said. “Was just thinking… it doesn’t matter. I’ll bet you’re hungry.”

“A little.”

It only took a minute to prepare a strong hot broth from one of the dehydrated packages he’d taken for the journey. Luke used the ship’s depleted water reserves -- he didn’t know if the water from Sed would affect her in any way, but he wasn’t willing to take the risk.

“Drink it slowly.”

Pala nodded, and did as he said. When she paused to swallow, he saw the same questioning expression she’d worn when he’d handed her the spare clothes. But she didn’t say anything until she was done.

“I’m feeling a lot better now.”

“That’s great.” Luke smiled. “We should try to find--”

“My sister,” said Pala. “My older sister, I think she crashed here too.”

Luke hesitated a moment. “We didn’t pick up any other signals. I don’t think--”

“Please,” she said. “She came down before I did. I think I know where she is. It’s not far from here. Her pod might have malfunctioned. Please, I -- I have to know.” She didn’t cry, but there was something painful and desperate in her voice.

Luke felt fairly certain that there was nothing to be found, especially not nearby. He hadn’t seen anything else as he approached in his ship, and the scanners hadn’t picked up on anything. If a second pod’s safety systems had malfunctioned, it was all too possible that it had burned to dust as it entered the atmosphere. But he knew what it was like to need to know…

“If you can give me some coordinates, we could fly overhead, and see if anything has landed there.”

She shook her head. “No, no, we need to walk.”

“Pala, I can’t go, not right now, and--”

Perhaps if the Force hadn’t been interfering with his senses, he would have had an inkling of what was about to happen. But as it was, it caught him by surprise when Pala pushed past him, shoving him with all her weight, and ran off, down the still-open hatch.

“Hey!”

He’d barely registered what was happening when he realised that the tug he’d felt at his side had been Pala taking his lightsaber.

It didn’t take long for Luke’s instincts to kick in, but Pala was fast, and she had a lead on him by the time he bounded after her in pursuit.

He expected to catch her quickly, but Pala surprised him. She wove her way through the trees, leading Luke to the very places his senses warned him against. He was drawing on the Force now, without even thinking about it, leaping over every obstacle to close the distance between them, while ignoring the silver fog that was starting to claw at his mind.

_“Why don’t we just stay here a bit? It can’t hurt, can it? All three of us?”_

Or maybe it wasn’t just in his mind. The mist was rising from the ground now.

_“Only a couple of moon-jockeys like you would consider going outside in this. Stay in.”_

Pala stopped and turned. Luke almost ran into her. She grimaced.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t think you’d be nice.”

_Leia’s lips at his throat; Han’s hands at his belt…_

And the mist took him.

* * *

Leia was sitting in the co-pilot’s seat, trying without success to focus on a pre-Empire holonovel, when the jolt hit her. A burst of light filled her vision, and left stars trailing across her eyes, as though she was suddenly outside in the vacuum of hyperspace, not protected by the _Falcon’s_ shell.

When she came back into herself, Han was standing behind her, hands on her shoulders, his expression troubled.

“What the…” Leia had trouble finding her voice.

“Hey,” said Han, exhaling as though he’d been holding his breath. “What just happened there?”

Leia shook her head. “I’m not sure.”

“What’s wrong with Luke?”

“Luke?”

“You said his name. Sounded like he was in trouble.”

“I don’t remember.” The concern on Han’s face was unmistakable. Even now, after Luke had survived so much, Han’s old instinct to protect Luke against all odds shone through. She loved Han for it, so much that it hurt.

Leia remembered seeing the same anguish in Luke’s eyes, when she’d told him about how Han had been sold to Jabba, frozen into half-life; how Luke had promised her that he wouldn’t stop until they had Han back, without a thought for everything he’d just been through.

“Can you feel anything?” Han asked. “With, you know… the Force?”

Han wiggled his fingers, and Leia found herself smiling without meaning to. Han wasn’t exactly a skeptic anymore, but that didn’t mean he had no trouble with the concept. Her smile faded when she considered his question.

“I… know he’s… he’s alive,” she said. “But no, I can’t… there’s nothing else.” No sense of presence, as there had been on the forest moon, and earlier too, though she hadn’t known it for what it was.

The uneasiness, deep in her gut, kept coming back whenever she thought about it… the power she could wield, if she wanted to. The thought of where -- and who -- that power came from… how could Luke stand it?

Han sighed. “Worth a shot, I guess. Still… not long until we get there.”

Han’s hyperspace navigation had rivalled anything he’d ever done on the Kessel Run -- any of the standard routes would take three times as long, possibly more. Leia had spent most of the journey so far trying to ignore the mixed knot of feelings in her chest whenever she saw the speed at which they were approaching the Set-Na system. This would be so much easier if there wasn’t part of her that _wanted_ to see Luke, every bit as much as Han did. If she could focus only on the New Republic, and their desperate need for as many planets to join them in these first crucial weeks…

Leia’s vision swam for a moment; she still felt disoriented by whatever had just happened. She reached up to her shoulder and took Han’s hand.

“I’m going to lie down for a bit,” she said. “Will you be alright on your own for a bit?”

“Yeah, sure.”

It was strange, not having Chewbacca with them; right about now Leia would have welcomed the backup, though she would have welcomed his comforting presence even more. Everything felt so solid when Chewie was your ally. But Han had been right to insist that he stay behind -- their mission wasn’t supposed to be dangerous, and she knew Han wouldn’t forgive himself if Chewie missed the chance to contact his people.

Leia pressed a kiss to Han’s cheek as she left the cockpit. For a moment, she wished they’d brought Threepio along as backup, just in case something went wrong, but Mon Mothma had needed him to communicate with any distant worlds they might contact -- and to ensure that there were no miscommunications with the Ewoks.

It took Leia a long time to drift off. Images kept flitting past her eyes, memories that she’d been trying to ignore, ever since Luke had told her the truth about who they were and where -- who -- they came from. She wished that Han was with her, and then felt glad that he wasn’t. Eventually, her tossing became a restless sleep, filled with dreams that escaped her memory when she woke several hours later. A second blanket had been placed over her. Han must have checked in on her.

Han was yawning when she relieved him of his watch. He should have woken her earlier.

Smooth tedium reigned for the rest of the journey. Han slept for a bit, but joined her before they arrived. The alert chimed as the _Falcon_ prepared itself to exit hyperspace.

Leia braced herself to feel Luke’s presence.

* * *

Han had to monitor the nav computer as they left hyperspace, but he watched Leia from the corner of his eye, ready to act if the jump into Set-Na affected her in any way.

If it did affect her, she gave no sign. Her expression didn’t change, not the small frown on her face, or the hard focus in her eyes as she looked ahead. Han knew that look. It was her _I’m not feeling anything right now, and if you try to suggest that I am, you may not live to regret it,_ look.

He gave her a moment before he spoke.

“Can you sense anything?”

Leia gave him a short nod. “Luke is... here. In this system.”

“Is he alright?” The uneasy gnawing in Han’s stomach deepened when she didn’t answer right away.

“It’s strange,” said Leia, at last. Her expression still hadn’t changed. “It’s muffled. I can’t tell where he is. Just that he’s in the system. But...”

“Yeah?”

“It’s like he’s happy. But he’s troubled too, underneath that.”

“That’s good? I mean, he’s safe.”

“I think so.” Leia allowed a small grimace to crack through her facade. “Everything is strange here. I’ve been able to tell where he was before, but I couldn’t sense his feelings unless...” She bit down on her lower lip.

“Unless what?”

“Unless he was close enough to touch. Clearly that’s not the case now.”

“We’ve got the coordinates Luke sent us, right? We’ll start there.”

Leia nodded. “Right.” That steely expression was back again. Han reached out to take her hand, half expecting her to pull away, but she didn’t. She squeezed his fingers tightly and offered him a small, tight smile. “Let’s go.”

Han had jumped in close to Rew. Much closer than any safety regulation would have allowed, but Han wasn’t about to start paying attention to that stuff. As they descended through the atmosphere, Leia seemed to relax. The tension left her shoulders, and although she still seemed pensive, the tightness was gone from her eyes and her mouth.

“Is he nearby?” said Han quietly. He felt something spark deep in his belly. They’d all be together again soon. And hell, maybe once they’d got Andola on board with the New Republic, Leia would agree to some time away. If he could convince her that Luke needed it...

His excitement cooled when Leia took her time to respond.

“He might be,” Leia said at last, “but it’s still foggy. I’m not sure.” Her eyes were unfocused, distant.

“You alright?”

“Yes,” she said. “This isn’t a happy place. But it’s peaceful. Luke said it’s somewhere you come to find answers, to accept things.”

“Huh.” Well, Leia had a lot to accept at the moment. Han wouldn’t begrudge her that. For himself, he thought he’d be able to accept things a whole lot better if they’d found any sign of Luke. The comms should be working at this range, but they hadn’t picked up on anything.

By the time they reached Luke’s coordinates, it was clear that he hadn’t landed here at all.

“What now?” he asked.

Leia frowned, though Han had a funny feeling she was more perplexed than worried. Han was worried enough for both of them. 

“I think I should get out,” said Leia.

“You think that’ll help find him?”

“If this place gives answers, maybe it’ll tell me where he is.”

“Worth a shot, I guess.” He didn’t exactly like the idea, but he didn’t have a better one either.

Leia caught his arm as they removed themselves from their seats, and Han found himself pulled down into a kiss, nice and long and slow.

“What was that for?” he asked.

She gave him a small smile. “You know.”

Han laughed and let her go. 

Han kept his hand on his blaster as they left the _Falcon_ , although he knew there was no reason to suspect an attack. It just made him feel better.

Leia moved with a clear purpose once they were on the ground. Han supposed that Luke must have given her more details about what to look for. They followed a winding path that seemed to have been carved naturally beside a stream. 

The path led them down into a gully; they turned a corner, and Han saw a shallow cave. Inside the cave was a small pool of water no wider than the span of his arms.

“This is it,” said Leia.

“You supposed to drink the water or something?” It sounded like something out of a children’s story, but then again, he’d thought that the Force and Jedi powers had been a children’s story not too long ago.

Leia frowned. Han was actually glad to see a bit of consternation break through the calm. Peaceful was all well and good, and sure Leia could use a bit more peaceful every now and then, but he hadn’t fallen in love with her for being peaceful.

Leia sat beside the pool and removed her boots.

“You gonna get in there?” Han asked.

Leia shot him a small smile. “Just my feet. Don’t get all excited.”

The water rippled as her feet disappeared beneath the surface. She caught Han’s eye. “Is it strange that I’d almost prefer to be in a blaster fight?”

“Not at all.”

Leia closed her eyes, and let her hands skim across the surface of the pool. Something seemed to shift in her; something in her expression really did remind him of Luke now, and Han just hoped that meant her mystery Force sense was telling her where the hell he’d gotten to.

The minutes dragged on. Han didn’t exactly think interrupting was a good idea. He paced around the cave’s entrance, telling himself that he was keeping watch, and knowing that it really wasn’t necessary. A few times he found himself stopping and breathing slowly, as though he was beginning one of Luke’s focus exercises. There was something… not wrong… here, but very very odd.

He heard Leia gasp. By the time Han turned to her, her face was impassive again, but he didn’t want to look away again. Han made his way over to her and sat down beside her, ready to move if anything happened.

He placed a hand on her back. And what he saw made him feel as though a sarlacc had taken up residence inside his chest.


	3. Chapter 3

Why was he fighting the mist? There had been a young woman, she had done something. _Pala. She wasn’t who she said…_ It seemed so silly to worry about it now. Luke let himself fall to his knees. _No, I need to…_ He didn’t need to. Tender hands stroked his skin, and he could hear the voices he’d missed so much, pulling him in. He fell forward further, and for a moment he felt cool dirt against his cheek, but then it was gone, taken away by the mist. Images rose from the haze, and it didn’t matter if they weren’t real, if they shimmered as though they could disappear at any moment...

_“Don’t stop. Don’t you dare ever stop.”_

_A hot desert breeze tickled his bare skin, but it was nothing to the silky heat of Leia’s back against his stomach, or the warm pressure of her waist nestled between his thighs. Luke nuzzled at her throat, and reached around her to stroke her breasts, his fingers teasing her nipples._

_“Don’t stop,” she said again, but her words weren’t for him. Or not only for him. Luke let his gaze linger on her body, down her soft curves, to the place where her legs parted for Han, whose face was buried between them. Luke could feel Leia’s mind, he could sense the echo of every lick, every stroke of Han’s tongue._

_Luke moaned into Leia’s shoulder as he thrust against her back. This was everything, everything..._

_Without breaking his rhythm, Han looked up at them both. He caught Luke’s eye, and Luke could’ve sworn that Han was grinning._

_“Keep… keep going,” said Luke. “Keep doing that.”_

_He could feel Leia’s peak building, the tense heat coiled inside her growing almost unbearable as Han teased at her folds, at her nub, in exactly the right way. Luke mirrored Han’s movements, his tongue finding the sensitive spot behind her ear, the one that Han had shown him when--_

_Leia cried out as her orgasm took her, and Luke felt himself pulled along with her. His cries matched hers as he spilled hot and sticky against her back._

_Luke collapsed back against the cushions, and he thought he might fall apart…_

The desert shimmered and disappeared. _No._ He wanted it to be real, he didn’t want to admit that it was an illusion. _It can be real,_ the mist told him, but he was too aware now that he was lying on the ground, in a forest. He could see Leia, but she wasn’t here. But she wasn’t a dream either. She smiled as she spoke to someone, and Luke knew it was Han. Leia sat down by a small pool, and dangled her feet into it.

The mist tried to take him again, but instead, the cold water, sharp and vivid, drew him in. Earlier, on his ship, there had been a memory, one he’d been trying to avoid.

“Leia…”

_“I don’t want to be alone right now,” he said without meaning to._

_“I don’t either,” said Leia, her voice low. She stepped in closer and sat beside him on his bunk._

_“There’s… there’s not much room here,” said Luke. He thought he’d read her intention correctly; he’d been able to do that, sometimes, ever since he’d called out to her through the Force._

_“There’s enough,” said Leia._

_They lay back together onto the narrow mattress, and Leia was right, there was just enough room, if they held each other very close. Luke’s arm encircled her waist, and with a small sigh, Leia let her head rest against his shoulder. Neither of them spoke, not for a long time. There was no sound but their breath and the hum of the med-ship’s hyperdrive._

_For the first time since his confrontation with Vader, the raw, hollow feeling inside him abated a little. Except for…_

_“I keep thinking,” said Leia, breaking the silence at last, “how alone Han must feel.” Her voice was steady, but Luke could hear the ache in her words._

_“Me too,” said Luke. Even with everything else: the pain in his arm, the terrible sense, deep in his gut, that Vader had spoken the truth… even with all that, the thought of Han trapped and alone cut through everything. He wished he’d been as brave as Leia, that he’d said or done something, before they’d all been drawn apart..._

_Luke drew back from Leia, just far enough to look her in the eyes. “We’ll get him back, Leia. I know we will. Whatever it takes, we’ll get him back.”_

_“We will,” Leia agreed, and the steel in her voice made Luke almost afraid for anyone who tried to stop her. “We will,” she said again, her voice softer this time._

_Luke pressed his lips to her forehead. It was only supposed to be a quick gesture of reassurance, but he lingered a moment longer than he intended. He shifted, and pressed his lips to her cheek instead. When he pulled away, Leia turned her face toward his, and without thinking Luke kissed her mouth, softly and gently, the way he’d always wanted to._

_He would’ve stopped there; he would have pulled away and not let it turn into something else, but then Leia made a small sound in her throat, desperate and urgent. Her mouth opened beneath his, her hands curled in his hair, and something snapped inside him. Luke gave into it, kissing her deeply. Heat coiled in his belly, and he felt Leia’s body respond to his. He didn’t need to ask what she wanted; he already knew._

_Leia pulled his tunic over his head, and he helped with her gown. Their mouths found each other again, and they pressed together, skin to skin, hands searching, exploring, discovering the best places to touch, to stroke. Luke gasped as Leia guided him into her body; it was as though he was sinking into every part of her._

_Something nudged at the edge of his consciousness, something he knew without knowing, but he pushed it away, because now wasn’t the time. They needed each other. They needed to be strong for each other, for Han, and if this was what it took to be strong…_

_Luke held onto that thought as he moved inside her. Her warmth against his skin, her mouth on his neck -- if only Han were here too, to hear her soft cries urging him on, urging them both on until--_

Luke yelled wordlessly as something twisted him away from the memory. He opened his eyes, and once again he saw himself with perfect clarity, on the forest floor. Leia was looking for him. Somehow, she’d cut through the visions, and he’d remembered something real. And for a moment he’d seen Han’s face. Then the link had been broken... _No, no, this isn’t right. I have to find..._ Luke pulled himself up, but he found suddenly that he didn’t want to. Silver tendrils rose around him, and he knew he only had to give into it. The mist wove its way back into his mind, and it didn’t matter if it wasn’t real, because it felt so good and right.

_Luke collapsed back against the cushions, and Leia fell back with him. Han raised his head, a self-satisfied smirk on his face, and Luke laughed breathlessly as he felt aftershocks tremor through Leia’s frame._

_Luke’s head fell to one side, and through the window he caught a glimpse of snow-capped mountains. Cool air drifted over all three of them as Han kissed his way up Leia’s body, lingering on her stomach, her breasts. When Han finally reached her neck, Luke leaned in and caught Han’s mouth with his own._

_He moaned when he tasted Leia on Han’s tongue, musky and intoxicating. He wanted more, he needed more. Leia shifted between them, allowing Luke to pull Han closer. Luke’s hand closed around Han’s prick, and he felt Leia’s lips at his throat. He pressed forward with his tongue, he felt Han’s stubble brush against his chin…_

* * *

Leia was sure that she would always remember the raw, twisted expression that Han wore when she opened her eyes. She knew what he must have seen.

She could still feel the calm aura that pervaded everything here; she knew why she’d been taken back to that moment, she knew what she needed to do. What all of them needed to do. And she also knew that if they were going to have any chance of succeeding at that, they needed to act right away.

“I can find Luke,” she said. “He’s in trouble. We have to get back to the _Falcon_ , now.”

Leia thought she understood what it must have cost Han to nod at that moment. His face shut down into an expressionless mask, but he nodded.

“Right,” he said, his voice hollow. “Lead the way, Princess.”

Leia didn’t waste any time. She pulled her boots back on as she stood, and set off back toward the _Falcon_ at the quickest walk she could manage. Han kept pace with her, stony and silent.

Han didn’t object when she took the pilot’s seat and set the controls to manual. He just sat down next to her and looked straight ahead as she flew the ship up through Rew’s atmosphere.

A calm sense of purpose had driven Leia ever since Han had pulled her from her trance, but that began to dissipate as they left the planet. In its place, Leia felt a horrible gnawing deep in her gut; the feeling she’d pushed aside so often since the end of the party on the forest moon, when Luke had walked away from them both.

Rew had given her answers, just as Luke had said it would, but if Han didn’t accept those answers… Leia wouldn’t blame him.

Han maintained his expressionless silence. Leia thought she should be grateful for that -- at least it made it easier to keep her focus as she directed the _Falcon_ toward Sed and her sense of Luke. But part of her -- a big part -- wished that Han would yell at her, wished that he would tell her how much she’d hurt him. Then she could yell back at him, which he didn’t deserve, not this time, but at least it would feel normal; it would be something they could work through.

But this -- Leia didn’t know how to handle Han like this. She wished she could take back what he’d seen; she wished she could stop the unbearable thought that maybe, after everything, she’d lost him. She and Luke both...

They were most of the way to Sed before Han finally broke his silence.

“You said it wasn’t like that.”

Leia drew a long breath. It was good to hear him speak, although the answers wouldn’t be easy. “I said that because I thought it couldn’t be. It couldn’t be like that, not after we found out…” 

She and Luke had agreed, without words, when he’d told her that night on the forest moon: they would have to forget, to pretend it had never happened. They would ignore it, just as they’d ignored what the connection between them might mean. 

Leia remembered how certain she’d felt later on, high on the rush of victory, that they would manage somehow.

“Tell me,” said Han, his voice strained, “was I your second choice all along?”

“No!” Leia hadn’t meant to shout, but she wasn’t unhappy that she had. Han had to know, he had to, that that wasn’t the case. “No, Han, I -- after we -- after Luke and I…”

Han grimaced. “Yeah, yeah, I get the picture.”

Leia sighed. “It only happened once. We talked, after. He already knew about you and me. I’d told him, but he knew before that. And he told me…” Leia shut her eyes. This wasn’t hers to tell, but Han needed to know, and she thought Luke would understand. “He loves you too,” she said, “as much as I do.”

She opened her eyes when she heard the catch in Han’s breath. He still looked straight ahead, not at her, but his expression was softer now.

“We were going to tell you everything,” Leia continued. “After we got you back, we were going to… we thought that all three of us…” 

Leia knew how she felt, and how Luke did. She didn’t doubt that Han had loved her for years already. And she’d seen the way Han looked at Luke, the way he risked his life for Luke, over and again. She thought that maybe Han had even loved Luke first… he’d come back, for Luke’s sake, at Yavin.

Han swallowed. “You should’ve told me.”

“Yes,” Leia agreed. “We should’ve.” That’s why that pool on Rew had taken her back there. Because they couldn’t forget, they couldn’t ignore what had happened, or what they’d hoped for afterward. Because the answer wasn’t in leaving all that behind them, after all. “Han, I’m so --”

Leia stopped when an alert appeared in front of them:

 **Ship detected:** _Lysano-323_  
 **Status:** _All is well. No assistance required._  
 **Co-ordinates:** _-33.8688197/151.20929550000005_

“Isn’t that Luke’s ship?” Han asked. “Those co-ordinates aren’t exactly where we’re headed.”

Leia frowned. The co-ordinates weren’t that far away either, but she knew they weren’t right.  
“Luke’s not with his ship,” she told Han. “We’re not changing course.” They could deal what had happened to the _Lysano_ later. Once Luke was safe.

She steeled herself as they began their descent through the atmosphere. Luke had warned her somehow, when she’d touched his mind before, that this could be dangerous for her. She wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, but when she felt images begin to brush across her mind, promises of things that couldn’t be, the mountains she knew she’d never see again, with Han and Luke by her side… Leia knew the planet was the planet at work.

Leia reached out and closed her hand around Han’s wrist, and to her relief he didn’t pull away. Han was real, everything they’d shared was real, and no matter how angry he was with her and Luke right now, that was real too. The images and promises fell away.

They saw, clearly, the place where Luke must have landed his ship, earlier, and together Han and Leia brought the _Falcon_ down into the same clearing.

Her sense of Luke’s presence was stronger now, as was… Leia swallowed hard and hoped that the heat in her face wasn’t showing. She forced herself to focus -- beneath everything, she could tell that time was growing short. If they didn’t get Luke free soon…

“Come on,” said Leia.

Han didn’t object when Leia took his hand. She knew that finding Luke would be easy. But she also sensed that getting there would not. As soon as she stepped onto the planet’s surface, she felt soft whispers, teasing at her brain, promising her so much…

_You can take them home to Alderaan, you know. Both of them. You can rebuild the Republic…_

Leia grit her teeth, pulled Han in closer, and tried to focus on Luke’s presence, which was real in a way that the whispered promises were not. 

“Easy there, your Highness.”

“Just let me do this,” said Leia tightly. “You can say whatever you like, after.” She would probably regret that offer at some point.

She tightened her grip on his arm. If any of this was affecting him, he gave no sign of it. But it helped to have him there.

They both broke into a run when they saw Luke lying prone on the forest floor. He didn’t move. Leia knew he was alive, but he barely seemed to be breathing.

But in spite of that, she stopped a few meters away from him.

“What is it?” Han asked. “Is he hurt?”

Leia shook her head. “He’s not injured. Not physically. But you have to get him. I can’t.”

“What?” Han shot her a puzzled look.

“If I go any closer… it’s dangerous for me. I might be pulled in too. But you’re okay, I think.”

Han still seemed confused, but he took her word for it. The whispers returned the moment Han let her hand drop; they were telling her to follow Han, telling her she needed to… but she held on.

Han stepped up to Luke slowly, and crouched down beside him.

“What’ve you gotten yourself into now, kid?” The frustration in Han’s tone was clear enough, but there was tenderness too.

Han turned Luke onto his back with a gentleness that might have surprised anyone who didn’t know him well. Luke stirred, but didn’t emerge from the trance that held him.

Han took Luke by the shoulder. “C’mon Luke. We’re getting out of here.” To Leia’s surprise, Han chuckled. “You’ve got a whole lot of explaining to do, and I’m not letting you get out of it.”

Luke’s eyes opened. “Han?”

“Yeah, who else is crazy enough to keep on saving your backside? Come on…”

Han slipped his hand around Luke’s arm, as though to help him up. But Luke seemed to have other ideas.

As Leia watched, Luke reached up to Han, pulled him in, and kissed him.

* * *

No matter what Leia had told him earlier, Han hadn’t expected this sort of greeting when they found Luke. It was enough of a shock to make instinct kick in, and Han quickly discovered that his instinct in this instance involved kissing Luke back. For a moment, anyway. Maybe it was more like two or three moments. Enough, at least, for Han to get a proper sense of just how thoroughly Luke could do the kissing thing.

It was also long enough for an image to flash through Han’s mind: one that involved all three of them, not many clothes, and a whole lot of tangled limbs.

“Whoa, Luke,” said Han, when he managed to pull away. “Ease up a bit, will you?” He very firmly removed Luke’s hands from his belt.

“Do we have to?”

“Yeah. We really do.”

Luke tried to draw him in again, but Han was ready this time. He used Luke’s momentum to pull him upwards, and when they were both more or less standing -- one of Luke’s arms slung around Han’s shoulders -- Han took a step forward, taking Luke along with him.

Well, that was the plan.

Luke stumbled. His weight threatened to pull Han down for a moment before Han was able to steady both of them. Luke still swayed against him, and Han wondered how long it had been since he’d had anything to eat or drink.

“Aw, hell,” Han muttered. “You’re gonna owe me double for this one, kid.” Ignoring the strain to his back, Han bent down far enough to slip his free arm beneath Luke’s knees, and lifted him.

Luke didn’t seem to object to that. His grip around Han’s shoulders tightened, and his head fell against Han’s shoulder. Han could see Leia watching them with a hand over her mouth, and while she was definitely concerned, Han suspected that part of her was trying not to smile.

Han just focused on putting one foot in front of the other without losing his balance.

He’d made most of the way back to Leia when something changed for Luke. The moment was pretty clear: it was the one where Luke suddenly stopped kissing Han’s neck, drew back a little bit, and said:

“Oh.”

Something told Han that Luke would be okay standing on his own now. It was a relief for his back, at least.

Luke wouldn’t quite meet his eye. “Han, was I just--”

“Yep.”

Luke shook his head, as though it wasn’t quite clear yet. “Oh boy. Han, I’m--”

Han raised a hand. “Hold it, kid.”

Leia joined them, but she stopped an arm’s length away from Luke. She reached out to Luke, but paused before she touched him. She looked over at Han.

Luke followed her gaze.

“He knows, doesn’t he?” said Luke softly.

“Yeah, he does.”

Luke exhaled, long and slow, his eyes closed. “Han…” he said.

Han shook his head. “Not here. Let’s get back to the _Falcon_.”

Luke nodded. “Yes. This place… isn’t good for me.” He rubbed at his head. He still seemed a little out of it. “It’s not good for Leia either, I think.”

“Yeah,” Leia agreed. “Let’s get out of here.”

They set off. From the corner of his eye, Han saw Leia squeeze Luke’s hand, just for a moment, before she let it drop. The sight didn’t bother him as much as it might’ve a few hours ago. Now… he wasn’t really sure what to make of any of it.

At least he didn’t feel as though someone had dropped a tank full of acid into his chest anymore.

_“He loves you too, as much as I do.”_

It wasn’t as though Han hadn’t thought about it, like a kid day-dreaming about stupid impossible things. He knew that Luke could drive him just as crazy as Leia did, in his own quiet way. But it’d been hard enough keeping track of where he stood with Leia, whether she wanted him in her bed, or on the other side of the galaxy… and besides, Luke was chasing some destiny that involved a whole lot of stuff that Han had barely believed in until recently.

Still, there had been those moments when him and Leia had managed to stop fighting and all three of them had ended up exhilarated after surviving another brush with death, or when they’d found each other in one of the rec areas on one of the rare occasions they all had down time… there had been the night of the memorial for Alderaan, when they’d all gotten drunk on Corellian rum, because as Leia said, “Drinking hurts less than crying does.”

Han had always just figured that Leia would choose between them one day, if Han was even able to stick around long enough for that to happen, and that Luke… he hadn’t really gotten around to thinking that far. At least not until that dawn on the forest moon. He’d known what Luke and Leia were to each other by then, but he’d still thought, for a moment…

“Ah,” said Luke from just behind him, “I don’t suppose that either of you saw a human girl on your way here?”

“We didn’t see anyone,” said Leia.

Han glanced over his shoulder. “Though this might be a good time to mention that someone has taken your ship. Not far, but… I hope you weren’t too attached to it.”

Luke swore, and broke into a run. Which probably wasn’t a great idea for someone who’d barely been able to stand not too long ago, but he seemed okay. Han followed suit, and he knew Leia was doing the same.

He supposed that one benefit of all the patrols he’d been running back on Endor was that at least he wasn’t at risk of getting tired.

As the _Falcon_ came into view, Han heard the unmistakeable sound of a ship diving through the atmosphere, with no landing gear engaged.

“Han! Leia!” Luke yelled. “Get down!”

Han felt an invisible hand on his back, pushing him away, pressing him down into a ditch behind a log. Leia joined him a moment later, pressed against him.

“What… Luke, don’t!” she said.

Luke stood firmly, his legs parted, his hands raised at the sky. Han could see the strain in his face.

The ship hurtled toward him.


	4. Chapter 4

The ship didn’t slow. Leia could see -- she could _feel_ \-- that Luke was doing all he could stop the ship, but it wasn’t enough, not in this place.

The Force-grip that held her and Han in place disappeared as Luke redirected all his efforts toward the ship. The moment she was free, Leia ran to Luke’s side: she didn’t know how to use her own power, not like this, but perhaps Luke could do something, to draw on her untrained abilities. At the edge of her senses, she was aware of Han moving too, yelling and shooting his blaster at the tiny ship; she knew the blaster bolts were unlikely to change anything, but she also understood the need to do _something_.

Luke’s horror coursed into her as she reached him and placed a hand on his back. He’d meant to save Leia and Han both, to keep them safe, and now…

_It’s okay,_ Leia told him. She showed him with feelings, rather than words, what she wanted him to do, and she felt the moment he accepted that as their only option. And then -- it was as though every sense she had was heightened tenfold. She could feel every atom of the air around them, she could hear Han’s heartbeat, and sense Luke’s blood in his veins. And then there were the silver-tinged visions again, so much stronger now. _Luke and Han were holding her, holding each other, and Han watched as she and Luke…_

“No!” said Leia, out loud. She resisted the vision and focused on the ship. She could feel that too, its rapid descent, the resistance of the planet’s atmosphere which wasn’t enough, not nearly enough -- until suddenly it was.

The ship came to a halt as it reached the level of the treetops. The sudden stop reverberated through Leia like a punch to the face, but she held steady. She felt Luke draw on her power again as he directed the ship slowly, gently toward the surface.

When it touched the ground, Luke slumped against her, and she caught him in her arms. He was warm against her, and she was struck suddenly by how easy it would be to press her lips to his neck. Luke shifted in her embrace, he leaned in toward her...

Leia had no doubt that he’d just seen the same thing, that this planet was threatening to drag them both into whatever trap it had made for Luke before. She made herself ignore the part of her that wanted, very badly, to be drawn into that trap.

Han came up beside them, and Leia reached out to him. Luke did the same.

“The ship,” said Luke, as he managed to steady himself. “We have to check…”

Together, they made their way to the _Lysano_ , and Leia saw to her relief that Luke had a remote that allowed him to lower the entry ramp without drawing on the Force again. They were met with a series of excited beeps and whistles, and a moment later Artoo Detoo appeared, looking even more battered than usual.

“Hey, Artoo,” said Luke as he reached the top of the ramp and knelt down to greet the droid.

“What exactly has been going on here?” Leia asked.

Luke looked over at Leia and Han. “From what Artoo says, it seems like Pala realised you two were coming for me, and was lying in wait, planning to attack. But Artoo tried to wrestle control of the ship away from her, and well… it didn’t go to plan.”

“I’m guessing Pala is the girl you were talking about?” asked Han.

“Yes,” said Luke. “Though I have no idea why she’s done all this.”

Luke opened the door to the cockpit, and they all crowded in.

Strapped tightly into the pilot’s seat was a young woman, pale and trembling. A bacta patch had been applied to her temple, and her hands gripped the unlit hilt of Luke’s lightsaber. Leia doubted that the girl was twenty yet… maybe no older than sixteen.

“I’ll take that,” said Luke shortly, taking the lightsabre from the girl’s -- Pala’s -- hands. She looked up at Luke, stunned and frightened. “Don’t worry,” Luke continued. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

Leia felt a rush of affection as she heard the kindness in Luke’s voice, even as she wanted to berate Luke for dropping his guard around someone who clearly meant them harm.

Luke turned to Leia and Han. “We should get her to the _Falcon_. We’ll have more room there.” And then, proving that he wasn’t as trusting as Leia feared, he told them, “There are some binders in the second compartment there. We should probably use them.”

“Damn right we should,” Han muttered, but Leia could tell that he was unsettled too. The girl was so young.

Pala didn’t stop trembling as Luke removed her restraints and locked the binders around her wrists. She didn’t say anything, and Leia thought that her shock might have been genuine.

They escorted Pala onto the _Falcon_. She began to cry as Luke maneuvered her onto the seat near the dejarik board.

“Please,” Pala said, between sobs. “I had to do it.”

Leia turned sharply to look at her. Something about her voice…

Luke frowned, clearly troubled. “Did someone make you come after me like that? Were they threatening you?”

Pala shook her head. “No, not like that. It’s just… I had to.” She spoke more clearly now. “I just couldn’t let the Jedi--”

“Wait!” said Leia, as she recognised the accent. She turned to Luke. “Luke, she’s Andolan.”

A queasy anger flooded Leia’s gut, as Luke looked at her without understanding.

“The Andolans sent us here after you,” she told him. “They claimed they needed to speak to you before they’d negotiate with the New Republic.” She turned her gaze back to Pala. “I didn’t suspect them of treachery, though it seems like I should have.”

“I reckon we’ve got enough room in the storage lockers for her and anyone who’s been working with her,” said Han.

Pala began to sob again. “I haven’t been working with anyone. The envoy don’t know, no one except for… I’m alone. I brought a small ship out here, and made the escape pod crash. It’s not the others, they didn’t want to betray you. It was just me.”

Leia caught the slip. “You are working with someone else,” she said.

“No.” Pala met Leia’s eye and shook her head.

“What about your sister?” Luke asked. “The one you told me about earlier.”

Pala’s face twisted. “She’s dead. She died before I was born.”

“How’d you know where to find Luke, then?” Han asked. “Someone must’ve told you.”

“No. No one told me,” said Pala.

“I don’t even know how someone would’ve got a message through, with most long-range comms out at the moment,” said Luke.

_Most long-range comms_. Everything slipped into place in Leia’s head. “Faren Dwenn,” she said, remembering the Colonel who had stood with the Andolans at the greeting ceremony.

“Who?” said Luke and Han at the same time.

“One of our ground crew. Handy with the comms, responsible for some of the few long-range connections we were able to make. Some relation of yours, maybe?” Leia finished, looking back at Pala.

Pala slumped in her seat and used her bound hands to wipe awkwardly at her eyes. Luke knelt in front of her.

“It’s okay,” he told her gently. “You haven’t betrayed him. But now that we know, you need to tell us what’s going on.”

“He’s my cousin,” she said. “He overheard you talking to the Princess, saying that you were going to Rew, to find answers.”

Leia remembered the conversation, a few hours after Luke had walked away from her and Han. She kicked herself inwardly for talking to Luke out in the open like that, where anyone could overhear. She knew, though, that Dwenn couldn’t have learned too much -- she and Luke had talked around the terrible truths that were so difficult to accept; neither had wanted to give them voice.

“So, he managed to get a message through to you,” Leia said.

Pala nodded. “We remember the Jedi, on Andola. We have records… my family and a few others hid them from the Empire. When Faren told me where you were going, I found out about Rew, and about Sed, the way it draws you in, if you have the Force, especially if you’re trained in it… it makes you dream about what you want more than anything, until you die. I thought it sounded kind...”

Luke exhaled shakily, and the anger in Leia’s gut became sharper, more personal.

“Huh,” said Han. “Funny sort of kind.”

“You don’t understand,” Pala said. “I didn’t really want to kill anyone. But I can’t let the Jedi come back, I just can’t. It’ll all go wrong again.”

* * *

Han didn’t exactly have time for people who’d tried to do away with the people he loved. If Pala hadn’t clearly been a kid -- even more of a kid than Luke had been back when they’d first met -- Han might not have held back. He kind of suspected right now that Leia was finding the whole holding back thing difficult too.

But she _was_ a kid, so Han just said, “We’ve heard enough excuses. Time to lock her up, and let the New Republic sort her out when we get back.”

Luke looked over at Han, wearing that calm Jedi look that he’d somehow acquired while Han was doing time as Jabba’s number one wall decoration. “No,” said Luke. “I need to hear what she says.” The quiet authority in Luke’s voice unsettled Han a bit, but the shiver that it sent down Han’s spine was… not entirely unpleasant. Definitely something to remember for later. But for now...

Luke turned back to Pala. “Why do you think it’ll all go wrong?” he asked.

Pala closed her eyes, and her face twisted. “Because one of them killed my sister,” she said.

Beside him, Han heard Leia breathe in sharply, and even Luke looked unsettled for a moment. 

“Go on,” said Luke.

“My parents had her when they were very young, and the Jedi took her away when she was just a little girl. They thought it was an _honor_.” Pala almost spat that last word. “She’d only been at the temple in Coruscant for a few months when the order fell. She died with the rest of them.”

Han remembered seeing the propaganda, when he was just a boy. The fall of the treacherous charlatans who’d brought the Republic to ruin. Of course, none of that had mentioned killing children.

“A Jedi did it,” said Pala. “Everyone thinks it was the clones, acting under orders, but it was a Jedi who killed the children. I can prove it.”

Han suddenly had a good idea of who this killer must have been. He reached out to take Leia’s hand. It felt cold, and he squeezed it gently. He wanted to reach out to Luke, too, but Luke was intently focused on Pala, just too far away.

“You say you can prove it?” said Luke, his voice shaken now. “What do you know about this Jedi?”

“I just know that he murdered all of them. I’ve seen it.”

“How?”

Pala shifted awkwardly in her binders, but she managed to extract something small from her jacket pocket. “This data-chip,” she said. “There’s a security recording. It’s not very good, but you can see enough.”

Luke swallowed. “I promise, Pala,” he said, “the person who did this… they betrayed everything the Jedi stand for.”

“But he still came from the Jedi, who took children from their parents, and let them be slaughtered…”

Luke closed his eyes. “I know.”

“You need to watch it,” said Pala. “Watch it and see if you don’t agree with me.”

“Hmph,” said Han. This was a bit much. “You’re not exactly in a position to be making demands here. You’re lucky we don’t just throw you out the airlock.” Not that he would, but Pala didn’t need to know that.

“I’ll watch it,” said Luke softly. Then his expression hardened. “But Han is right. I’ll watch it because as a Jedi, I mustn’t look away from the past, and not because you demand it. I’ll make my own decision about what to do from there, and it may not be one that you like.”

Pala winced. “What will you do with me?”

“I promised that we wouldn’t hurt you. That’s not how we do things.”

“But you’re not going to let me go…”

Luke looked at her for a moment. “I need time to consider. For now, I’ll give you a choice. We’re returning to the Alliance -- to the New Republic -- headquarters. You can spend the journey confined to one of the cabins, in binders. You’ll be uncomfortable, but you’ll have everything you need for food and sanitation. Or you can let me put you into a trance of sorts. It won’t be too different to my trance back on Sed, though you won’t dream. Your body will just hibernate for a while. Just about everything will shut down, but you’ll be alive.”

Han shuddered. It sounded a bit too much like the little he remembered of the carbonite for his liking, but he had the feeling that Luke was testing Pala somehow -- that her answer would be important in some way.

Pala didn’t respond immediately. “The trance,” she said at last. “Put me in the trance.”

“Alright,” said Luke.

* * * 

Luke asked Han to make the jump into hyperspace before he put Pala into her trance. It was easier to resist the planet’s lures, here on the _Falcon_ , but he wanted to avoid drawing on the Force without need. He especially didn’t want to unwittingly draw Pala into one of his visions.

Pala submitted easily to Luke’s touch on her forehead; he thought she might actually be relieved to let go of everything for a while. Luke was just relieved that she’d agreed to this; if she trusted him enough for this, it meant that his plan might work. 

But first he had a promise to keep, though it wouldn’t be easy.

For once, the _Falcon’s_ auto-nav wasn’t malfunctioning. Han and Leia stayed with Luke as he loaded the data-chip into Artoo’s projector unit.

“You don’t have to watch this,” Luke said, turning to Leia beside him.

“Yes, I do,” she said. Leia’s face was pale, but she raised her chin as she looked at him, and Luke knew it would do no good to argue.

“Han--”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Han sat down on Leia’s other side, and Luke met his eyes above her head.

“Thank you,” Luke said softly, for himself and Leia both.

Luke felt a warm pressure against his palm as Leia slipped her hand into his. He swallowed against the tightness in his throat. “Alright, Artoo,” he said. “Show us what’s on there.”

Artoo gave a mournful whistle.

“Yes,” said Luke. “I’m sure.”

Distorted images flickered in front of them, but the damage to the recording wasn’t enough to obscure the actions of the man in the cloak. His movements were slow and purposeful, and Luke flinched when he lit his lightsaber. Leia sat utterly still beside him, her jaw clenched, but Luke could feel the horror building inside her; he wished she would let him shield her from the sight. He knew that with every murder, she could feel Vader’s hand on her shoulder, forcing her to watch as her home was destroyed; she could feel the echoes of the pain he’d sent jolting through her body as the children in the recording screamed silently. 

Tears blurred Luke’s vision, but it didn’t matter. He didn’t need the footage anymore. Through the Force, Luke saw everything unfold exactly as it had happened. He saw the face, so like his own, beneath the cloak. When Luke had last seen that face, it had smiled at him, peaceful in the light, but here it was twisted with fear and hate. Luke knew the weight and heft of that lightsaber; he could almost feel it now as he watched it cut down the innocent. Luke was glad, for the first time, that he’d lost the hand he’d used to wield it.

Luke had no doubts about what he’d felt in the moment that Vader had turned away from the Dark and become Anakin once more. He knew that their father had not been entirely consumed by the monstrous being he’d become. But he couldn’t blame Leia for her certainty that Luke had been wrong about all of it.

He didn’t even notice that the recording had ended until he felt Leia drop his hand. As his mind returned to the present, Luke saw her rush to the disposal unit in the cabin wall. She gagged as she lost the contents of her stomach.

Luke wanted to go to her, to hold her, but he couldn’t. A terrible weight inside him wouldn’t allow him to move. Han could though. He was beside her within moments, his hands on her shoulders. Han helped Leia to stand as she wiped her mouth; he pulled her into a tight embrace and stroked her hair as her shoulders shook.

Leia kept so much of the agony in her past carefully locked away, but it was close to the surface now. Luke wished he could take it from her, to feel it all for her, to spare her the pain.

Han rocked her gently and bent in to press his lips to her head. Luke felt a fierce gladness, knowing that they had each other. He wanted to join them, but Luke knew that this might be Han and Leia’s chance to make things right between them. And besides… he couldn’t risk hurting Leia more. Surely, he of all people would remind her of the terrible things they’d just seen.

Luke finally managed to pull himself up, careful to make no sound. He stepped quietly toward the exit that would lead him to one of the crew cabins.

“Luke.”

Luke stopped at the sound of Han’s voice. He turned.

“Don’t go,” said Han.

Leia pulled away from Han a little, and turned to Luke too. Her eyes were red, but her expression was fierce. “Don’t leave, Luke,” she said.

He didn’t need to be told a third time. Luke crossed the cabin, and let Han and Leia pull him into their embrace.


	5. Chapter 5

“I still think this is a bad idea,” said Han.

Luke looked over at Han and gave him a small smile. “I promise,” he said, “if I have any doubts about Pala once I’ve talked to her, we’ll abandon my plan.” He hoped it wouldn’t come to that. Pala and her cousin hadn’t acted with malice, and Luke doubted that a trial and incarceration would do anything to allay her fears about the Jedi.

Luke also knew that in spite of his doubts, Han didn’t really want to see two young people locked away. Or thrown out of an airlock.

“Right,” said Leia. “Let’s get on with this.” Her voice was brisk, but she reached out to squeeze Luke’s shoulder as she spoke. A moment later Han’s hand joined hers.

A quiet warmth settled in Luke’s chest.

They still hadn’t talked about how things were going to be between the three of them. Luke knew that there were no guarantees that they’d all end up together in the way they wanted, or if that was even a good idea. But he also remembered how, after they’d held each other in the wake of Pala’s recording, Han had taken both Luke and Leia by the arm and led them to the cabin he’d been sharing with Leia.

Han had guided them both into the lower bunk, which was wide enough for two. Luke hadn’t realised how exhausted he was until that moment, and he suspected that Leia had been even more fatigued, after drawing so powerfully on the Force with no training, not to mention what had come after. Luke woke hours later, with Leia pressed warm against his back, her arm around his waist. Han had been sitting on the floor beside them, his head drooping as he dozed, though his eyes flickered open when Luke stirred.

There was so much that Luke had wanted to say: that he was sorry that things had happened they way they did, and that he and Leia hadn’t just told Han everything, in spite of what they’d discovered, and he wished he’d said something ages ago, back on Hoth or even earlier. But Leia had still been sleeping, and Luke didn’t want to wake her.

Then Han had caught Luke’s eye and given him that little half-smile that had always made Luke’s stomach flip. There was no mistaking the warmth behind it. Leia’s arm had tightened around Luke’s waist, as though she sensed something in her sleep.

Now, with Leia and Han standing behind him, Luke knew that whatever happened between them from here, they wouldn’t lose each other over this.

“Alright,” said Luke. “Here goes.”

Pala lay before them in the central cabin, still in her trance. Luke kneeled in front of her, let his hand rest on her forehead for a second time, and called her back into consciousness.

She blinked a few times before her eyes focused. Pala looked at Luke, and then her eyes darted to Han and Leia. Luke could sense fear and apprehension, but it eased when she looked down and realised that there were no binders on her wrists.

“Here,” said Luke, offering a hand.

Pala only hesitated for a moment before using it to draw herself into a sitting position. “Are we with the New Republic?” she asked.

“Almost,” Luke told her. “We’ll reach Endor in a few hours.”

“What will happen then?”

Luke turned to Leia and Han. Leia nodded first, but Han was close behind her. Luke knew that he had their full support in this, no matter what doubts they might hold.

“We watched the recording,” Luke told her. “I can see why you were afraid of what it might mean, for the Jedi to come back. If any of us were to turn again...”

As he spoke, he sensed a sharp pain from Leia. He knew that Leia had more sympathy for Pala’s quest than she wanted to admit, even to herself.

“That’s not going to stop you, is it?” said Pala.

Luke shook his head. “Your people remember the Jedi. I think you already know that fear is of the Dark Side. We can’t afford to let fear guide our actions.”

“I know,” said Pala softly. 

“But,” Luke continued, “I won’t do things the same way as the old Jedi either. My old mentor left me some records. Not many, but enough. I think that perhaps, without realising it, they let fear guide them when they shouldn’t have. They were so afraid of forming attachments that they took small children from their families. They were afraid of love, and what it might mean… I intend to do things differently.”

Behind him, Luke felt a complicated swirl of emotions from Han and Leia both.

Pala looked at him, frowning. “No matter what, you can’t promise me that it won’t happen again.”

“No,” Luke admitted. “I can’t. But I can promise you, I won’t take small children from their parents. I won’t seek any position within the New Republic, either. I’ll teach my Jedi to seek knowledge and wisdom, and to stand up against injustice where we find it… but we’ll be separate from the New Republic, or any planet or nation.”

He knew, from what Leia had told him, that the Andolan embassy may not respond well to this plan. He could feel her worry now. But she understood, too.

“And what about me?”

Luke waited a moment before responding. “If you will promise me that you will never interfere with the Jedi again, and if your cousin promises the same, you will be free to do as you please. Colonel Dwenn will resign his commission with the New Republic, but he will face no punishment. No one but the four of us ever need know about his role in your plans.”

Pala looked at Luke disbelievingly.

“Of course,” said Leia from behind him, “If we ever hear even a hint of yourself or Faren Dwenn doing anything to undermine Luke or the New Republic, you’ll be tried for your crimes. And formal status or not, I can assure you that the New Republic courts will take the word of a Jedi very seriously.”

“Or, you know, we could just take care of matters ourselves,” Han chimed in. “If we were a long way from a court, or something.”

Luke had to suppress a smile. He kept his gaze focused on Pala, but he could almost see the glare that Leia was directing at Han right now.

“You’ll be treated fairly, no matter what happens,” Luke assured her. “But it’s up to you to decide if you’ll take my offer now.”

Pala looked down at her hands and was silent for a long time. But at last she nodded. “Okay,” she said. “I accept. I can’t speak for Faren, but… I promise, I’ll stay away from the Jedi. I won’t interfere.”

“Thank you,” said Luke. He couldn’t sense her feelings the way he could with Leia -- and Han now too -- but he believed she was sincere.

“I -- perhaps it’s best if I wait in one of the cabins?” said Pala. “You can put the binders on again if you need to.”

Luke nodded. “We’ve probably got some holos you can watch.” He turned to Leia and Han. “Where do you stand on the binders?”

Leia looked at Pala for a long moment. “Let’s give her a chance to prove herself,” she said finally.

Han shrugged. “Not much she can really get up to now. And we’re gonna be letting her loose sooner or later.”

Luke smiled. “Thank you,” he said quietly. Their compassion, their faith in his plan in spite of their doubts, would do as much to ensure Pala’s good will as Luke’s own actions.

Luke escorted Pala back to the cabin she’d occupied during her trance. When he returned, Han and Leia had returned to the cockpit. Luke joined them, and they filled him in on the New Republic’s plans to leave Endor and move to a new base where they could make contact with more sympathetic worlds.

With Pala awake and on board, none of them wanted to discuss anything else. But it was good, being there with them.

* * *

Han didn’t mind admitting to himself that he was more than a bit turned on as they watched Luke with the Andolans. The crisp black lines of his clothes, the way he held himself, the calm, even tone of his voice… and the knowledge that underneath all of that was the scrappy kid with an easy smile and way too much faith in other people. He wondered what he might be able to do, later, to break Luke’s poise. Han wondered what he and Leia might be able to do to Luke together…

Leia’s hand slipped into Han’s, and although she maintained a dignified expression, her fingers tickled his palm. Han was pretty sure that she was enjoying a few… interesting… thoughts of her own.

Of course, all of those thoughts just made the rest of the ceremony drag on for what seemed like several eternities. When Luke was done, Leia gave a speech, then the Andolan High Luminous One, or whatever she was supposed to be called. Then Mon Mothma spoke for at least half an hour, no matter if his chrono only said it was ten minutes.

And after that, there was the dinner to get through. At least it gave Han a chance to catch up with Chewie and Lando. Lando seemed to guess that something was up, but he didn’t ask Han about it. Still, he’d have to figure out what to tell him eventually… after he figured out what was actually going on himself. Chewie, Han suspected, already had a pretty good idea of what was up -- but fortunately all human mating practices were strange to Wookiees, so he wasn’t going to judge.

Finally -- finally -- they were able to slip away. Leia led them to one of the Ewok huts that the fledgling New Republic had been using to plan strategy. Unlike most of the other buildings here, it was secure -- the hut had been fitted out with a transparent sound-proof casing and Leia was able to set a code to ensure that they wouldn’t be disturbed. Only Mon Mothma and Ackbar would be able to override them. No one would be able to listen in.

“I told Mon Mothma that Luke wanted to give us information about his planned movements over the coming months,” Leia told them, as she locked the hut with her personal security code. “It’s not official New Republic business anymore, but she’s keen to maintain links with Luke and any other new Jedi.”

The security pad beeped to signal that the room was now secure, and at last Han was free to do what he’d wanted to do all night. Hell, what he’d wanted to do since -- Han wasn’t really sure anymore. But the idea was clear enough in his mind now.

First, he squeezed Leia’s hand and pressed his lips to her forehead. Then he turned to Luke, pressed him up against the wall, and kissed him. Luke made a small surprised sound in the back of his throat, and that was thrilling enough, knowing he could still surprise Luke in spite of all the Jedi stuff. Not quite as thrilling, though, as the way Luke’s mouth opened easily beneath his, and the hungry way his tongue pressed forward, teasing its way past Han’s lips.

Luke’s hands gripped Han’s shoulders, and Han prepared himself to be pulled in closer, but instead Luke pulled away.

“We…” Luke paused to take a breath. “We should talk. Before things get out of hand.” He looked from Han over to Leia, who was watching them with a strange expression on her face.

“I dunno,” said Han. “Maybe we should just let things get out of hand, and see how they go.”

“Han…” said Luke. “We can’t just…”

Leia opened her mouth, and Han braced himself for an argument. But then -- “I think Han’s right,” she said.

Before Luke had time to object, she crossed the space between them and kissed Luke just as thoroughly as Han had done a minute earlier. This time, Luke didn’t pull away so quickly, and Han found that he didn’t mind watching them one bit. Not now that he knew they weren’t going to run off together without him, that he wasn’t the second choice for either of them.

The kiss ended gently. Luke and Leia stood together, their foreheads touching as Luke held Leia’s face between his hands.

“You’re still my sister,” he said softly. “We shouldn’t…”

“If we shouldn’t,” said Leia, “then why did Rew remind me of our time together?”

“I don’t know,” said Luke, “maybe--”

“But it wasn’t just you and me… it was all of us. We missed Han so much, remember? It was almost like we were reaching out to him. Rew reminded me of that. Not to run away from it.”

Han was not suddenly swallowing against a lump in his throat. Definitely not. Leia’s hand caught Han’s arm, warm and steady. Luke turned to look at him. 

This time, Luke moved in slowly. Kissed Han slowly. Han resisted every instinct to speed things up, to move this along faster than Luke wanted to. It wasn’t so bad, this slow thing. Luke definitely knew how to make it work, anyway.

“I want this,” said Luke softly, “with both of you.”

“Good,” Han murmured. Leia moved in closer to both of them.

“Still have to talk though.”

Han sighed.

“He’s probably right,” said Leia reluctantly.

The three of them settled onto the cushions scattered throughout the room.

“I’m still a Jedi,” said Luke. “The old Jedi code said… well, I think they were wrong to forbid all attachment. I think it caused more problems than it solved. But I’ll still need to spend a lot of time away, learning, rediscovering everything that was lost. I’ll probably be away more often than not. And Leia… what if someone discovered us? It could hurt you. It could hurt the New Republic.”

Han felt something sink inside him when he saw Leia swallow and nod in response to Luke’s words. “That’s true,” she said. Leia looked down at her hands, and when she looked up again she wore the hard and determined expression that Han loved more than anything, even when it annoyed the hell out of him. 

“I’ve lost too much,” Leia continued, her voice tight. “I won’t lose this too, not if I can help it. We can be careful. And besides, Luke, if you’re off travelling most of the time, it makes it easier. No one will question why you stay with us on… wherever the New Republic capital ends up being, if you’re off doing Jedi research most of the time. If you lived with us full time, people would talk.”

“Chewie and I could even go with you, sometimes, when you’re doing the Jedi thing,” Han said, trying to sound casual. “Could help to have someone handy with a blaster along.” 

Leia shot him a rueful smile. “That might save me from turning my blaster on you, come to think of it.”

“So…” said Han, reaching out to both of them. “We done with talking now?”

Luke looked over at Leia, and then they both looked over at Han. Han’s stomach flipped pleasantly.

“Yeah,” said Luke, with a catch in his throat. “We’re done talking now.”

* * *

Leia knew she would never quite be able to shake the fear that everything would be taken away in an instant. Most of the time she tried not to think about it. Sometimes, in very rare moments, that fear sank so far into the background that she barely remembered it was there.

She was a little too warm, and her muscles were beginning to cramp, but Leia found that she didn’t mind. The discomfort just reminded her that all of this was real. Han’s arm encircled her waist, and his chest was close against her back. Luke was curled in front of her, his head tucked beneath her chin, his breath tickling her skin. Idly, Leia ran her fingers through Luke’s hair, and Luke sighed against her as Han pressed his lips to her shoulder.

Her sense of both of them was growing. Luke had taught her a little these past few days. But he’d accepted it, without resentment, when she’d told him she couldn’t become a Jedi like him; Leia was fairly certain he’d already been aware of the choice she’d made while watching that terrible piece of history. Worse than the fear of losing everything all over again was the fear that she could be the one to take everything from someone else.

Perhaps, if the New Republic didn’t need her, if Han hadn’t fallen in love with both of them… perhaps then she could have learned to set to set all that aside, to clear her mind and become a Jedi. But even then, Leia wasn’t certain that she would have wanted to follow Luke’s path.

Leia resisted the urge to check her comms for any new holo-messages. Not that Mon Mothma was allowing anyone to send her anything at the moment anyway. The day after the Andolan treaty had been signed, Mon Mothma had taken her aside and insisted that she take a week’s leave, for her own health. Leia wasn’t entirely convinced that Han and Luke hadn’t conspired together to arrange this. Then again, there were plenty of reasons that the two of them were putting their heads together at the moment, and Leia didn’t mind one bit, especially not when she got to watch.

“I don’t think I’m ever going to understand,” said Han lazily, “why we didn’t get around to this a hell of a lot sooner.”

Leia turned onto her back, so she could look at both of them. “I needed the time to whip you fly-boys into shape.”

Luke laughed.

“What?” said Leia and Han together.

“It’s just… I kept telling myself that I’d do something about it when you two worked things out. Didn’t want to mess it all up by interfering.”

“In future,” said Han, “you interfere all you like.”

Luke smiled. “I will. I promise.”

He began keeping that promise by leaning over Leia to press his mouth to Han’s. When they broke apart, Leia pulled them in close and kissed them each in turn. She ran her fingers over their exposed skin and sighed as they caressed her in turn. Luke’s hand found its way between her thighs, and Han’s joined him there. Leia pressed back against both of them and closed her eyes.

It didn’t matter that it could all disappear in a day or an hour, and it didn’t matter that it couldn’t always be like this. The only thing that mattered was now.


End file.
